Safety pin construction



1966 R. w. NICKERSON 3,268,966

SAFETY PIN CONSTRUCTION Filed June 17, 1964 INVENTOR. ,Q/CHAED W. IV/CKERS 01V A TTO/QA/EY United States Patent 3,268,966 SAFETY PIN CONSTRUCTION Richard W. Nickerson, 5261 Sierra Villa Drive, Los Angeles, Calif. Filed June 17, 1964, Ser. No. 375,872 4 Claims. (Cl. 24161) This application is an improvement of the safety pin disclosed in my allowed application Serial No. 224,164, filed September 17, 1962, titled, Safety-Pin With Pin- Connecting Means, and now Patent No. 3,136,014, issued June 9, 1964.

This invention relates to safety pin construction and deals more particularly with means for connecting the pin to a frame between the opposite ends of which said pin extends.

This device shown in said application comprises an approximately C-shaped synthetic plastic frame, and 2. preferably straight pin member having a point at one end for penetration of the cloth or fabric secured by the device, and means at the opposite end to interconnect the pin member and the frame so that the former, from a flexed condition, will seek a straight position with its point in pin-closing engagement with the frame.

The present invention has for an object to provide novel and improved means by which the interconnection of frame and pin is greatly facilitated and in which the interconnected portions of the frame and pin firmly and securely hold the parts in a manner enabling the pin to be flexed between open and closed positions while the connection remains firm and secure.

Another object of the invention is to provide interconnecting means of the character above referred to that includes portions providing a path of movement of the pin to connected position to insure rapid and facile as sembly.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The above-enumerated objects of the invention are realized in a construction in which the connecting end of the .pin is provided with a round closed loop that comprises more than one turn, preferably about one and one-half turns, in which the half turn is superimposed on the full turn and is provided with a keying end that is other than round and, in this case, is inbent and straight. An end of the frame, in one face thereof, is formed with a housing groove that is shaped to receive said half loop, and in the opposite face is formed a housing groove that is shaped to receive the full loop, the former housing groove being formed to define a channel to guide the loop end of the pin to connecting engagement with and in the housing grooves of the frame, thereby facilitating assembly of the frame and pin.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description and which is based on the accompanying drawirig. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a safety pin embodying the frame and pin connecting means of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged and broken side elevational view showing the pin in position preparatory to assembling the same onto the frame.

3,268,956 Patented August 30, 1966 FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the parts assembled.

FIG. 4 is a similarly enlarged and broken elevational view of the opposite side of the means shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

The safety pin that is illustrated is shown as having a C-shaped synthetic plastic frame 10, a preferably straight pin member 11 having a point 12 for separable engagement with the end 13 and the present improvements that comprise the interconnecting means 14 at the end of the device opposite to the end 13.

Said means 14 comprises, generally, a loop 15 formed in the end of the pin 11, and loop-housing grooves 16 and 17 formed in the opposite side faces of the frame end 18 for receiving said loop by snap-retention engagement, the latter housing groove being formed to define a guide channel 19 for the pin loop 15 to facilitate assembly of the pin and frame.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the loop 15 extends from the pin member 11, first in a loop part 20 and then in a superimposed or overlaid loop part 21. The latter terminates in a keying end 22 which is here shown as a straight inbent end of said loop part 21. Since the member 11 is formed of spring wire, the two loop parts 20 and 21 may be flexed apart to form a space therebetween, and seek to close due to the bias of said parts in a direction toward each other. The loop parts 20 and 21 comprise one =and one-half turns of a close-wound helix.

The loop-housing groove 16 has a form that conforms to the loop part 29, as can be seen in FIG. 4. Actually, said groove has a C-shape that is open at ends 23 and 24. The end 23 has a flare 25 that allows freedom of flexure movement of the pin member 11 which extends from the end 23 toward the opposite end 13 of the frame 10. The edge 26 of the frame end 18 is provided with a notch or recess 27 that accommodates that portion 28 of the loop part 20 that is adjacent to the superimposed loop part 21. Thus, the loop 15 resides entirely within the outline of the frame end 18, since said adjacent portion 28 of the loop part 20 lies within the edge 26, if extended across the notch 27.

The loop-housing groove 17 has a form that conforms to the loop part 21 and its end 22, as can be seen in FIG. 3. Said groove is rather U-shaped with one curved leg 29 to accommodate the arcuate portion of said part 21, and one straight leg 30 to accommodate the loop end 22, said portions being joined by a curved groove part 31 in which the bend 32 of the loop part 21 is received.

It is desired that the groove 17, within its legs 29 and 30, and connecting part 31, define a thickened part 33 of the frame end 18 and that a slope 34 be provided that rises upwardly from the notch 27 to the outer face or level of said part 33. Also, the outer edges 35 of groove 29, and 36 of groove 30, are arranged to be parallel to form a channel between them, as best seen in FIG. 2, thereby defining a guide enabling the loop part to be slid into the groove part 17 as the bend 32 slides up on the slope 34, along the face of the part 33, and drops into the curved groove part 31. Since the loop part 20 is engaged with the opposite face of the frame part 18, the same will slide over the face 37 of the thickened area enclosed within the groove 16. The two loop parts 20 and 21 will be spread apart, as shown in FIG. 5, when the same snap into their respective grooves, as shown. It will be apparent that the retention is a firm and non-rotational one.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a safety pin having a rigid frame with opposite ends, and a spring pin member operatively associated with said frame to open and close the safety pin at one of its ends, means interconnecting the opposite end of said pin member and the corresponding end of the frame comprising:

(a) a loop in said opposite end of the pin member comprising one full turn and approximately a half turn superimposed on the full turn, and

(b) groove-provided opposite face portion-s on said corresponding end of the frame receiving and conforming to the full and half turns of the loop, the face portion that receives the half turn being provided with a guide channel having open ends and along which the half turn of the loop is slid during snap-retention assembly of the pin member and frame,

(c) said face portion, between the channel ends, be-

ing provided with a slope up which the half-turn loop part is guided during assembly of the frame and pin member.

2. In a safety pin according to claim 1, said open ends of the guide channel terminating on an edge of the corresponding end of the frame.

3. In a safety pin according to claim 2, the mentioned edge of said corresponding frame end being directedtoward the end of the pin that is opened and closed.

4. In a safety pin having a rigid frame with opposite ends, and a spring pin member operatively associated with said frame to open and close the safety pin at one of its ends, means interconnecting the opposite end of said pin member, and the corresponding end of the frame comprising:

(a) a loop in said opposite end of the pin member comprising one full turn and approximately a half turn superimposed on the full turn, and

(b) groove-provided opposite face portions on said corresponding end of the frame receiving and conforming to the full and half turns of the loop, the face portion that receives the half turn being provided I with an open guide channel having open ends along which the half turn of the loop is slid during snapreten'tion assembly of the pin member and frame,

(c) a thickened portion of said corresponding end of the frame being defined within the guide channel,

(d) said portion, at the open ends of the channel, be-

ing provided with a slope up which the half turn loop part is guided during assembly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,136,014 6/1964 Nickerson 24161 FOREIGN PATENTS 251,128 4/ 1926 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

D. GRIFFIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A SAFETY PIN HAVING A RIGID FRAME WITH OPPOSITE ENDS AND A SPRING PIN MEMBER OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FRAME TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE SAFETY PIN AT ONE OF ITS ENDS, MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID PIN MEMBER AND THE CORRESPONDING END OF THE FRAME COMPRISING: (A) A LOOP IN SAID OPPOSITE END OF THE PIN MEMBER COMPRISING ONE FULL TURN AND APPROXIMATELY A HALF TURN SUPERIMPOSED ON THE FULL TURN, AND (B) GROOVE-PROVIDED OPPOSITE FACE PORTION ON SAID CORRESPONDING END OF THE FRAME RECEIVING AND CONFORMING TO THE FULL AND HALF TURNS OF THE LOOPS, THE FACE PORTION THAT RECEVICES THE HALF TURN BEING PROVIDED WITH A GUIDE CHANNEL HAVING OPEN ENDS AND ALONG WHICH THE HALF TURN OF THE LOOP IS SLIDE DURING SNAP-RETENTION ASSEMBLY OF THE PIN MEMBER AND FRAME, (C) SAID FACE PORTION, BETWEEN THE CHANNEL ENDS, BEING PROVIDED WITH A SLOPE UP WHICH THE HALF-TURN LOOP PART IS GUIDED DURING ASSEMBLY OF THE FRAME AND PIN MEMBER. 